Sources of Power
by Carden
Summary: Set Sixth Year, a boy from Dumbledore and Voldemort's past reappears, and Harry struggles to understand what he's meant to do.


Disclaimer: If I owned any of it, I would be sending this off to Bloomsbury and Scholastic, not off into the servers of ff.net! Really people, use your heads!  
  
Moving on then! Ahem! I present to you Sources of Power, a Harry Potter fanfic!  
  
A/N: If ye like, please leave a message with the button down at the bottom. If ye don't like, leave a message down at the bottom. Savvy?  
  
Oh crap, I'm mixing up fictional universes. Sorry 'bout that! ::grins::  
  
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Sources of Power  
  
Prologue: Liam  
  
The fact that it was nighttime made no difference in the temperature. Even without the sun, every living soul in England was broiling. Some had taken to shutting themselves in their houses; maybe those people were the smart ones. Only the brave walked the streets this July.  
  
It was also incredibly hot for any witch or wizard. Everyone was of the opinion that whoever had come up with the idea that witches and wizards should wear robes, no matter what the season be, should be roasted to death for his idea. Still though, not many witches and wizards traded in their robes and cloaks for something more Mugglish - no, that just wouldn't do.  
  
Down Diagon Alley, those who dared be out at night were casting cooling charms on themselves. All of them were particularly jumpy. If someone had said "Boo!" it is certain they all would have had simultaneous heart attacks.  
  
I'll tell you the truth - it wasn't this way a year ago. It wasn't this way six months ago. Hell - three months ago, it wasn't this way. No, three months ago, the streets were filled with people, all laughing at the idea that this could happen.  
  
It has only been a little over a month since Harry Potter and his friends entered the Department of Mysteries, and discovered the Lost Prophecy. It has only been a little over a month since Sirius Black passed through the Veil. It has only been a little over a month since Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort dueled in the Atrium, destroying most of it. And since then, the wizarding world has been living in panic, in fear, in terror. It was deja vu to some, who remembered what it had been like, not fifteen years before, when Lord Voldemort had been in power the first time. Would it be worse this time? Very few knew that it, indeed, would be.  
  
The Order of the Phoenix still met very regularly, under the powers of Dumbledore, and they had managed to stay one step ahead of Voldemort, so far. How long could it last, though?  
  
The rest of the Wizarding World knew nothing of the Order, and continued to live in utter panic, no matter what the Ministry did. The Ministry was no better than the public, in many ways. The entirety of the Ministry seemed to be running around with its head cut off. This only aided Voldemort's up rise.  
  
Tonight, there was a man pacing along the Alley. He was waiting for a friend to meet him.  
  
"She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago," he muttered. "What's taking her so long?" He paused, and looked around at all the others, huddled in corners, and avoiding other wizards. He sighed. "She could be any of them."  
  
He looked around, and behind him, a hooded old hag tapped around with a crooked stick. "'Elp an old 'ag, sonny?" she asked, looking up at him. The hag's face morphed away, and was replaced by Nymphadora Tonks' face. "Wotcher, Moony."  
  
Remus Lupin grimaced. "Please don't call me that. Anything new?"  
  
Tonks sighed. "No, everything is going rather slow on my end. What about from Headquarters?"  
  
Lupin shook his. "Nothing. I can't believe there's nothing happening." He looked around, making sure no one was listening in. "Nice cover, by the way."  
  
"Thanks. How's Harry holding up?"  
  
"From what Arabella's said and what his letters say, he's holding up.  
  
Just barely, but he is."  
  
"That's good to hear. When's he leaving the Dursleys?"  
  
"A couple of weeks from now. Probably his birthday."  
  
They were silent for a moment, watching the others around them. Tonks looked up at Lupin, he was staring off in the distance, with a vague expression on his face.  
  
"How are you holding up?" Tonks asked him.  
  
This caught the werewolf off guard - he looked at her a bit taken a back. But he looked down and sighed. "I'm doing okay," but when Tonks raised a haggard eyebrow to this, Remus sighed again and said - "All right, so I'm not okay. But I've been trying to keep it out of mind, and since we've been so busy -"  
  
"Remus - I know it's affected you more than that! And now, well, it's only right for you to not be okay."  
  
Lupin closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He couldn't help but feel so alone now. He thought he'd be used to it by now - a little over two years ago, he thought he was alone, but the other way around. James was dead, as was Peter, and Sirius had turned out to be evil. Now, it was flopped. James was still dead, but now, so was Sirius, and it was Peter who had been evil the entire time. "It's just - I really am the last one of us left. I always thought I would die first. Funny, how these things work."  
  
Tonks nodded, and looked away. She felt a tear welling up in her eye, and she blinked, trying to get rid of it. That would ruin her disguise - she doubted old hags cried in the middle of the street. But she felt so bad for Remus - he was so alone, and he didn't realize how important it was that he remains here. "It isn't funny, Remus. In a way, it was meant to happen. And we need you here. Harry needs you here. You're his last link to his parents."  
  
Remus nodded. In all of Harry's letters, he hadn't said anything to Remus about Sirius's death - they'd discussed trivial things, like the weather, and what the Dursleys were up to.  
  
"I should get back," said Lupin. "Molly or Arthur might call - they've been up to their eyes in various different projects." Tonks nodded, and turned away, heading into the Leaky Cauldron. Lupin rounded the corner, and went the long way back there too. But just as he was heading into the back entrance there, he saw something move in the shadows - something that looked very much like a boy. What would a kid be doing out here, this late at night? thought Remus. He pulled out his wand, and approached the dark corner. Huddled there, was someone sleeping, in a pile of old dishrags. Lupin touched the boy's shoulder, and the boy rolled over, still fast asleep.  
  
He's the same age as Harry! thought Lupin. The boy had very dirty hair, that looked like it might have been blonde, had it been washed, and pale features. He was gangly and thin, looking as though he hadn't eaten in a month. He also had many raw, red scars marking his face and arms, as though someone had tried to cut him, quite a few times.  
  
Lupin turned around, and saw Tonks in the distance. He whistled softly in her direction, to get her attention. She turned back, and shuffled towards him.  
  
"What is it?" she said, in the hag's voice, from beneath the hood.  
  
"Take a look at this kid," he answered. "Why's he here?"  
  
Tonks looked at the sleeping boy carefully. "You're right - there's no reason he should be here - he's old enough to have been at Hogwarts. Do you recognize him?"  
  
Lupin shook his head. "No - I never taught him." He reached over to touch the boy's shoulder, and he snapped awake, and scrambled up. The boy had chilling black eyes. They looked almost haunted.  
  
"I- I- I'm s-s-sorry. I- I- I'll l-l-leave now." The boy stammered, trying to move away from Lupin and Tonks, but Lupin put a firm but weary hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Wait," he said softly. "We can help you. Why are you here?"  
  
The boy resisted Lupin's touch at first, his eyes darting around. "I- I d-don't know. I c-can't r-remember."  
  
Tonks stepped forward, blocking the boy's way to escape. "What's your name?"  
  
The boy resigned himself to being stuck there, and looked at her - not knowing who she was under the hood, only that she was blocking his way out. "My name's Liam," he said, and he tried to get away, ducking past Tonks. Lupin whipped around, and Stunned the escaping boy.  
  
He hadn't gotten far, and the spell hit him directly in the back. He collapsed, and Lupin bent down to him. "I'm sorry," he said to the boy. "But we need to bring you back with us. You shouldn't be out here."  
  
..  
  
A/N: Confusing? It's supposed to be! Next chapter, we find out what Harry's been up to, and Perhaps a bit more about this boy named Liam.  
  
Now, if you'd be so kind, drop me a little note (good or bad!) with the little button at the bottom of your screen! 


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